Revelations
by ebmisfit
Summary: This is my first fanfic. When Kagome needs to go home for a special school project, Inuyasha learns some insight as to what she has given up for their mission, and finally gets a clue about how she feels for him. Will Inuyasha come to terms about how he feels about Kagome, or will she finally give up on him?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: _8/24/12: This is a reposting of Chapter 1 to hopefully fix the words left out of the first sentence_. This is my first ever attempt at a fanfic, so please be gentle! (…sheepish grin…) I do not own a lot of things in life… a mansion, a sports car, a pony… INUYASHA… but I sure can dream.

Revelations

"Damnit, Inuyasha, PUT ME DOWN! I HAVE TO GO HOME!"

Kagome beat her fists mercilessly against the back of the pig headed hanyou that had her draped over his shoulder like a sack of rice. Inuyasha only squeezed Kagome's legs tighter and continued to march resolutely back to the village.

"THE HELL YOU DO!" he snarled, "We have shards to collect, or did you forget about that, you silly bitch?"

Kagome stopped in mid strike. Her eyes flashed dangerously and she attempted to raise herself up off of his shoulder. "WHAT did you just call me?" She asked menacingly.

"I called you a SILLY BITCH! What, are you deaf, too?"

'_Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that's IT, baka, you've done it now…' _Kagome started to shout out her favorite command. "SI-". In a blur of movement, Inuyasha quickly adjusted his hold on her body so that she was smashed against his chest, her feet dangling off the ground. He clamped a hand over her mouth before she could activate the rosary, glaring fiercely into her eyes.

"You say 'IT', and I'm taking you down with me."

Kagome paused for a moment, casting her panicked gaze downward. Inuyasha took this as a sign of submission, and gave her an arrogant smirk. 'That's_ right, wench. You know you've lost!' _His victory was very short lived; however, as Kagome chose that moment to bite the hand held over her mouth. Inuyasha jerked his hand back, releasing his hold on her long enough to drop her unceremoniously on her ass on the ground before him. She squeaked in surprise.

"Owwww, fucking A, what the HELL did you do THAT for?" he shouted, examining the offended appendages. Kagome decided to take advantage of his brief period of inattention and flipped over on her hands and knees, pushed herself off the ground, and started to sprint like hell toward the well.

Inuyasha recovered quickly, and lunged forward to tackle her from behind. Managing to snag her around the waist, Inuyasha quickly pressed Kagome down to lie against the grass and then decided to sit on her backside to further anchor her to the ground.

"HA! Go ahead, try and say 'IT' to me now, wench, I dare ya…"

Kagome closed her eyes and rested her forehead against her arms, sighing loudly in defeat. Attempts to outrun him were getting her nowhere. _' I_ _guess it's time to try a different tactic now.' _At that moment, a wicked thought snuck into her head. She allowed herself a quick smirk before proceeding to use an age old feminine warfare tactic…she made herself cry. Instantly Inuyasha ceased his gloating, feeling bad when he smelled her tears.

"Awwwwww, Kagome, don't cry! Come on, cut it out! You know I hate it when you cry…"

'_Got him!' _

Kagome wiped her crocodile tears away with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha, but you have to understand that I need this extra credit grade. My sensei told me the last time I went to school that this is my only chance to bring up my grade in English so that I can pass this year!"

It's not that Kagome was particularly enthusiastic about her assignment, but she was obligated to do it. Her English teacher, being in charge of the school talent show, offered her a chance to get enough extra credit to pass by participating. Having known her for the entirety of her middle school career, the teacher was well aware that Kagome was an accomplished pianist and singer. Kagome started having piano lessons with her father a young age, and remembered many an hour spent singing and laughing with him. After his death, it helped her feel close to him when she continued to practice playing on her own. Although there was a time that Kagome entertained that foolish young girl's dream of one day becoming a famous singer, she gave up those frivolous pastimes after she fell down the well and started the quest for the Shikon Jewel with Inuyasha. After all, who has time to sing while running from demons and traipsing up and down Feudal Japan? These days, Kagome usually spent all of her free time bandaging wounds, cooking, babysitting a surly hanyou and a hyperactive kitsune, studying, and desperately trying to catch up on schoolwork. However, there were those rare occasions when she found herself alone in her time, and she would indulge in playing the old upright piano that went practically unnoticed in the corner of her living room, and sing a song or two.

"Why do you even need to worry about this 'skool' thing, anyways? You should be here with me."

Kagome perked up out of her reverie. '_Did he just say I should be here with _him_? Could that mean he cares about me…even a little?'_

"We'd probably have most of the jewel right now if you weren't fucking around so much in your time."

His callous statement felt like a slap in her face. '_AND there it is. When it comes to us, that damn jewel is the ONLY thing he cares about. After all, the sooner we finish correcting this '_stupid bitch's' _mistake, the sooner he can go be with Kikyou.' _She wasn't able to completely mask the hurt in her voice as she replied, "Maybe so, Inuyasha, but I can't fail this year. It would be a dishonor to my family. Besides, the others will be gone to Sango's village for at least a week. Her armor was pretty damaged in that last fight." Inuyasha snorted, but Kagome continued to plead her case anyway. "Besides, what would be the point of just sitting around here waiting?"

'_You'd be sitting around here alone with ME…' _Inuyasha slumped a little_. 'Would that really be so bad?'_

Although she couldn't see his dejected appearance, Kagome noticed his hesitation in replying, and decided to try bargaining with him. "You know, you COULD always come with me. I'm sure Mama's been able to restock the pantry by now." _'Yep,' _she thought,_' he may not give a damn about me, but Ramen will always hold a special place in his heart.' _

Inuyasha thought about it and decided to give in."Fine!" he snapped, standing up and helping a beaming Kagome to her feet. "One week, damnit, long enough to do this 'skool' thing, and then we're coming home. Understand?" In her happiness, Kagome threw caution to the wind and wrapped her arms around Inuyasha's neck, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. He immediately blushed, but returned her hug anyway with an awkward squeeze. Although he fervently tried to convince himself that he was only going for Ramen, the truth still snaked its way into his subconscious. _'Don't be stupid,'_ a voice in his mind said, '_You're going because the thought of her being away from you hurts like hell. You know, you two would probably get along a lot better if you just admitted that to her.'_ Inuyasha squelched the annoying little voice in his mind and slipped back into his gruff attitude as he gently shoved Kagome toward the well.

"Come on, wench, let's get this over with."

"Arigato, Inuyasha…"

A/N: Yay! There ya go folks, my first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. More chapters to come.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you all SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH for the reviews! It's means a lot to me to get encouragement with this. I will try not to let you all down! Now, on with the story. I will let you all know that my piano knowledge is somewhat basic since I taught myself, so please don't be offended if some of my terminology is off.

Just like everyone else that's not Rumiko Takahashi, I don't own Inuyasha (life's so unfair that way). I also don't own anything by Yiruma, I just love his songs.

Chapter Two

"Mama, I'm home!"

The late afternoon sunlight lit the courtyard as the Kagome and Inuyasha stepped to the door and slid the glass open. Kagome paused to remove her shoes before heading further into the house. Inuyasha had the good graces to at least wipe his bare feet on the mat before going inside. He was well aware that Kagome's mother was accepting of a lot of things, but a dirty house was not one of them.

"Oh, Kagome! I'm so glad you're home!" Annika Higurashi rounded the corner from the hallway, and rushed forward to embrace her daughter. Her attentions toward her daughter were very short lived; however, when she looked up to see Inuyasha lurking in the background. Annika abruptly let Kagome go with a squeal of delight and pushed past her to get to the apprehensive hanyou that appeared to be trying to blend into the wall behind him. '_Oh shit, here it comes...' _he thought, as his ears twitched in anticipation of the oncoming assault. Instead, Annika surprised him by wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a motherly hug. "Hello, Inuyasha! I'm so glad you came this time!" She stepped back and gave the stunned dog demon a soft welcoming smile. "Uh, hi…uh, Mama," he replied with a brief upturn of his lips before letting his customary frown slip back into place. He felt awkward referring to Annika as "Mama", but she insisted. In the two years that Inuyasha and Kagome had been traveling together, he still had a hard time believing the fact that this family was so accepting of him. Even the old man had stopped chasing him around with those stupid useless sutras of his.

Kagome smiled at the two before her and said "Mama, it's been a long day. I'm going to take a hot bath and rest for a little while before dinner." Annika rounded on Kagome in a businesslike manner. "Oh, no, young lady! Your sensei called me to discuss the situation with your grades. I'm happy that he's even giving you this opportunity at all, so you need to start practicing right away. You may take a quick shower, but then you need to start looking through your sheet music and decide what you are performing for the talent show on Friday."

Kagome was a little surprised at her mother's attitude. Usually her mother was the first to suggest that Kagome take a hot bath and relax when she came home. Kagome huffed a little at the lack of sympathy for her condition, but gave in. "Yes, Mama. I'll make it quick."

"Good." Annika turned back to Inuyasha and sweetened her tone considerably. "Dear, you must have had a long day, too. Why don't you come sit at the table, and I'll fix you something to eat." She led him past a startled Kagome by the hand. '_What the hell just happened?' _She thought_. 'Why does HE get babied and I DON'T?' _Kagome stomped into the kitchen after them. Inuyasha was already seated at the table with his feet propped in the seat across from him and his arms folded behind his head, wearing what only could be described as a shit eating grin. Kagome's mother bustled about in the pantry, emerging with an impressive stack of instant Ramen cups in her arms. She set them on the counter between the sink and microwave and heated the water for the first cup. Kagome sputtered "Mama, you're not seriously going to make him all that NOW, are you?" Annika turned to face her indignant daughter with a wave of the hand. "Of course I am! He's a growing boy, Kagome!" Kagome looked to the table at the smug hanyou who echoed "Yeah, Ka-go-me, I'm a growing boy! Now run along, and get to work. "He knew his dismissal pissed her off. His amber eyes glistened with barely contained mirth at the scowl she gave him.

Kagome prepared to lash out with what she considered to be a well deserved "SIT!"; however, the complete look of disapproval that she spied on her mother's face was enough to silence her.

Inuyasha, also noticing the look that was his salvation, decided to fuel the fire even more by sticking out his tongue at Kagome. "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!" Kagome turned a dark shade of red as she balled her fists at her side, rounded haughtily on her heel and stalked out of the room.

Annika shook her head at their antics and turned back to pour the water into the Ramen. Kagome's resounding stomps could be heard all the way up the stairway and into her bedroom. She was fuming so much that she almost ripped her bedroom door off of the hinges as she flung it open.

"That BAKA! Why does he always have to be such an OBNOXIOUS JERK?" She muttered to herself. She snatched up some clean clothes and stomped into the bathroom.

Inuyasha heard every word she said, thanks to his acute sense of hearing. The sound of his laughter mocked her from downstairs, further fueling her ire as she slammed the bathroom door shut. The hot water from the shower soothed her slightly, but Kagome was still a little huffy as she finished bathing. She quickly redressed herself and walked back downstairs toward the kitchen. Kagome paused at the kitchen doorway for a moment to mentally prepare for round three of their daily bickering, but the scene before her made her breath catch in her throat instead.

Inuyasha sat quietly at the table watching Annika as she flitted about making dinner, cheerfully relating a story about Souta's last soccer game to him while she worked. Annika approached Inuyasha and raised her hand almost absent mindedly to gently wipe off a stray piece of noodle that was on his chin. She set another cup of Ramen on the table in front of him and returning to the counter, never once pausing in her story. Annika missed the mixture of wonder and humility that shone on his face at her simple, but motherly gesture. He was used to people hating and fearing him, but this woman, who seemed to regard him as her own son, always managed to stun Inuyasha with all the little ways that she showed concern for his well-being.

Kagome suddenly felt horrible for being jealous of him in the first place. Of course her mother babied him; she knew that no one else had mothered him since he became an orphan. After Izayoi's death, Inuyasha had to learn the hard way just how cruel and unforgiving both the human and demon races could be. Kagome's heart hurt for Inuyasha every time she tried to imagine what he went through during those dark times. He never ceased to amaze her; however, with his capacity for compassion, honor and courage despite how others shunned and abused him in the past.

Inuyasha caught her gaze as she looked at him from her position in the doorway. Kagome offered him a sheepish smile and mouthed "I'm sorry". His honey eyes glowed with warmth as he accepted her apology with a nod and a rare smile in return.

'_Kami, she's beautiful_.' Inuyasha couldn't help but be swept up by the light in her dark eyes.

Kagome giggled and blew a kiss to him before retreating into the living room to search through her sheet music. A sudden blush crept across Inuyasha's cheeks as he turned back to his Ramen. His thoughts wandered to the girl in the room beyond, and suddenly, the desire to finish off the rest of his favorite treats waiting on the counter wasn't as appealing as being near Kagome. Inuyasha tried to act nonchalant as he quickly slurped down the dregs left in the bottom of the cup and threw his trash away. After shyly thanking Annika, Inuyasha padded out of the kitchen to join her.

Annika smiled as she watched him leave the room. She was well aware of the silent exchange that had just transpired between the two. '_It's just a matter of time now_…_' _ She entertained herself with thoughts of dog eared grandchildren while finishing dinner preparations.

:::::

Kagome sat at the old piano bench and lifted the cover off of the piano keys. She lovingly ran her hands along the ivory pieces, and then positioned her hands to play a few simple scales to warm up. She sensed Inuyasha's approach, and made room for him to sit down next to her.

Inuyasha looked at the instrument with interest. He'd never paid much attention to the living room before; he only occasionally sat on the sofa to watch what Kagome called the "TV" or play "video games" with Souta. He was impressed that such a large, bulky object was creating such delicate sounds.

"How are you doing that?"

Kagome paused in her warm up and smiled. "Each one of these," she pressed a random key "plays a different sound, or note. Each piano key is attached to a hammer on the inside that strikes a string when pressed, and the vibration creates the sound. You can press more than one key at the same time to create a melody."

Inuyasha nodded to indicate that he'd understood the explanation so far, and then asked "How do you know which keys to press?"

Kagome launched into a brief tutorial of playing the piano as well as an explanation of sheet music. When she was finished, Inuyasha said "Play something." For moment, Kagome hesitated over the keys, then started playing a beautiful melody by Yiruma that she'd recently learned during one of her rare trips home. For a few moments, Kagome lost herself in the flow of the music, imagining the river in the song title, but soon remembered Inuyasha's presence. She looked over to smile tenderly at the transfixed way he was watching her hands move over the keys.

'_She's amazing_,' he thought as his eyes followed her slender fingers in their lively dance across the keys. Inuyasha secretly discovered one more thing to love about her. _'Whoa! Hold on, wait a minute. Where the hell did that come from? I don't Love her! Most of the time, I can barely stand her, right?' _He immediately acknowledged to himself that wasn't true, but another question crossed his mind to replace the last. '_What about Kikyou? ' _

'_Yeah, what ABOUT her_?' That damn inner voice was at it again. 'She's_ not Kagome, hell, she's not even ALIVE! When are you gonna stop using her as an excuse to push away the one you really want?'_

Alright, Inuyasha knew that it wasn't exactly healthy to argue with oneself, but if it was a fight that the inner voice wanted, then so be it. _' I don't want Kagome, and Kikyou's not an excuse, damnit,! She died for me and I made a promise to protect her! '_

The inner voice snorted. '_You made that same promise to Kagome, too, Baka. '_

"_Yeah, well, Kikyou was there first.'_

The inner voice growled somewhat viciously at that statement.

'_Besides, Kagome deserves better than… a half breed. '_ He shut out the inner voice completely and put up his guard once more. The sweet, almost childlike expression he'd worn just moments before was replaced with a hard scowl as he turned his gaze downward into his lap. Kagome sensed the sudden change in attitude and was a little hurt by it.

'What _is he thinking about? 'Did I do something to make him angry?_'

A brief moment of awkward silence ensued after the song ended. When it became apparent that Inuyasha was not going to include her in on his thoughts, Kagome gave a self conscious chuckle and said "I guess dinner should be just about ready. Let's go".

She replaced the cover over the keys. Both of them stood up and walked away.

Later that night, Kagome decided to get some studying done at her desk before bed. She flipped restlessly through the pages in her textbook without really retaining anything that she supposedly was reading because her mind kept wandering to the surly hanyou in the tree outside.

Inuyasha was withdrawn throughout dinner, and everyone noticed the air of tension he exuded. Annika and Gramps kept casting questioning looks between the couple, and Souta even refrained from pestering his favorite hero. Kagome watched him pick at his food and was completely surprised when Inuyasha suddenly excused himself to go sit for a while in the Goshinboku. She was dying to ask what was on his mind, but she knew that prodding him would only lead to Inuyasha flinging a bunch of insults her way and running off to the well.

A short time after sitting down at her desk, Kagome was startled by the abrupt sound of her window opening. Inuyasha hopped in without a word, rested Tetsusaiga against the wall under the window and sat back on her bed Indian style, his arms tucked over each other into the sleeves of his haori. He bowed his head, obscuring his face behind his mass of unruly bangs.

Kagome shot him a questioning look but he never looked up to meet her gaze. _' Fine, be that way. Stubborn ass_…' Kagome gave a mental shrug and turned back to her book, determined not to let his current mood keep her from getting something accomplished that evening. She resolved not to spare him another glance until she was done with her studying.

Although Inuyasha tried to banish his thoughts from earlier from his mind, he couldn't help but to continue to think about the girl sitting nearby. He knew it wasn't fair to treat Kagome like he was at the moment (or almost any other time for that matter), but he was truly confused by his recent feelings toward her. When had she become so important to him?

'_Since she pulled that damn arrow out of your chest…'_

'_Shit! You're back again? Leave me the hell alone, already!'_

'_As you wish, Baka. Just keep in mind that, at the rate you're going, I won't be the only one leaving you alone…' _The voice faded away again.

Always one to have the last word in, Inuyasha couldn't restrain the_ 'Fuck you!' _directed toward the voice.

He continued to brood over his current predicament until the sweet scent of fresh rain and wildflowers that was Kagome proved to be too calming for him to continue to ignore. His eyes slid closed and he started to succumb to some much needed sleep before he could stop himself.

Two hours later, a sleepy Kagome decided that she'd ignored the pig headed hanyou long enough. She snapped her textbook closed and turned in her chair. "Inuya…" Kagome trailed off with a smile when she noticed that said hanyou was currently sprawled out asleep in her bed. At first, she marveled at his beautiful face relaxed in sleep, but then scowled as she remembered why she had ignored him in the first place.

'_First he gets an attitude and won't talk to me, and now he's taken over my bed? Oh, hell no!' _

Kagome crossed over to the bed and shook him by the shoulder. "Inuyasha, come on, get up. I want to go to sleep." He didn't even move. "COME ON, Inuyasha, I have school tomorrow! GET UP!" Not only did he not wake up, he also had the audacity to bare his fangs to her and growl in his sleep.

Kagome was pissed. She leaned over and snarled into his ear "Fine! Be that way then, but this is MY bed, Jackass, so move over!" Kagome switched out the light and shoved at him until she succeeded in making enough room to lie down next to him. She rolled to face away from him and shut her eyes tightly.

Later that night, Annika was completely shocked when she came to Kagome's room to say goodnight. Upon opening the door, she was greeted by the sight of her daughter peacefully sleeping on her right side, the fingers of her left hand entwined with those of the boy who was currently laying behind her, holding her against him in a very possessive manner. Apparently, sleep granted the two freedoms that consciousness could not.

Annika recovered quickly from the surprise and smiled. Neither of the two stirred even in the slightest as she eased the door closed and walked down the hallway to her own bedroom.

'_Yes, indeed, it's just a matter of time…_'

A/N: Kagome was playing "A River Runs Through It" by Yiruma. I hope that everyone is enjoying the story so far, and I promise the plot will be going somewhere, I'm just gradually finding a way to introduce it. Until next time…


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Again, Thank you all SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH for the reviews! I'm glad that y'all seem to like the story so far. The first few chapters of this story are to establish that Kagome had a normal life as a teenager in her time before fate took over. The story will develop into my version of a continuation, but all in due time, my friends. Some of the characters may be a little out of character, but what's the fun of fan fiction if you can't play with them, right? I still don't own 'em, but I'm gonna keep borrowing 'em for a 'lil bit.

Chapter Three

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP,BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP…..

Inuyasha was in hell. '_What the FUCK_ IS _THAT!?' _Somewhere in the back of his sleep clouded mind, he realized that the horrifying noise was that damned "alarm clock" thingy similar to the last one the crazy bitch went ballistic about him breaking…or maybe it was the one before that…shit, he'd lost count of how many of those things he'd actually smashed, but,_ 'What the hell, why break with tradition?'. _He had every intention of mangling this one, too.

Inuyasha plastered his ears to his skull and, with a snarl, barely cracked open his eyes to look for the beeping beast_. _He lunged forward with the outstretched claws of his left hand to grab for the alarm on the nightstand, but his plans of throwing it out the window were foiled by the startled "OOMPH!" he heard as his body rolled over on top of another body in the process… a very confused, very soft, very familiar body.

Inuyasha reared back and scurried across what little bed space separated him from said body with enough force to crash into the wall behind him.

'_Kagome?'_ Inside he was panicking as his current location dawned on him. _' I was sleeping WITH KAGOME?' OH, FUCK, SHE'S GONNA "SIT" ME STRAIGHT THROUGH EVERY LAYER OF HELL THERE IS!'_

He cringed back against the wall and squeezed his eyes tightly shut, preparing for the worst. It never came. He tentatively popped open any eye to look at her.

Kagome rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up to glare him straight in the face, clearly not a happy camper. "How many FRIGGIN' TIMES do I have to show you how to hit the button to turn it off!? I swear, I'm gonna have to spend my entire college fund just to replace each one of these damn things you break!"

Inuyasha was never more confused in his life than in that moment. He just woke up cuddled up to Kagome like a child cradling his favorite toy, and all she was bitching about was the alarm clock? Where was her usual, somewhat prudish sense of propriety? Where were the 'Sits" he'd been counting on?

As if to answer his unspoken questions, Kagome poked a finger into his chest and snapped "And another thing… If you want to sleep on the bed, then_ fine_. It's not like it's a big deal, or anything. But next time, DON'T HOG IT! I need my beauty sleep, too, ya know. And quit cowering against the wall like that! Jeez, you act like I'm gonna bite you or something…"

Inuyasha struggled to rein in the perverted thoughts that pranced gleefully about in his mind in response to her "bite" comment, but the reality of what else she'd said caused everything to grind to a screeching halt. _ 'Wait a minute. Did she just say what I think she said? She doesn't care if I sleep in her bed with her? I must be losing my fucking mind! She can't have just said that!' _Inuyasha's scattered thoughts tumbled around madly in his addled mind as he tried desperately to comprehend the wench's behavior. He continued to stare stupidly at the girl that was currently trying to purify him with her eyes for waking her up so abruptly.

Truth be told, Kagome was in a little snit. First of all, no one ever accused her of being a morning person, and everyone that knew her well was aware that Kagome's usually sunny disposition never made an appearance before 9:00am. Souta had even once gone as far as to point out that, if the Inu gang was so desperate to defeat Naraku, all they had to do was wake Kagome up from a sound sleep in his presence and let nature take its course. However, this time, there was another reason for her foul mood. She was lying there having the best dream. Inuyasha was holding her tightly to him under a starry sky and confessing his undying love for her. The dream seemed so realistic to her that Kagome could almost swear she could feel his embrace and smell his intoxicating woodsy scent all around her. Then, just as his lips were hovering over hers for a kiss, the real Inuyasha had to go ahead and ruin the moment by waking her up and crushing her half to death.

'_Jerk!' _

Out loud, she stated "I have to get ready for school. Go down and see if Mama's got breakfast started yet, and try to stay out of trouble." Kagome gave him another withering glance, then threw her legs over the side of the bed and stumbled over to her closet to retrieve her school uniform. She turned and rummaged through her dresser to get out her necessary undergarments and stalked off to the bathroom, grumbling incoherently under her breath the whole time.

Inuyasha heaved an audible sigh of relief. _'At least she didn't "sit" me. That could have gone worse, I guess.'_

'_It could have gone better, too, you know. I'm sure you could have thought of more _pleasant _ways to wake her up, after all…'_

Inuyasha groaned. _' I thought I told you last night to fuck off! It's too damn early to be dealing with you.' _

'_Hey, I'm just sayin'…' _

The smells of bacon and sausage wafting up from downstairs drew his attention. All inner battles aside, Inuyasha and the voice called a truce in favor of searching out the source of those heavenly scents.

Kagome joined her family and Inuyasha in the kitchen shortly after. She gratefully accepted the plate of breakfast that Annika held out to her and sat at the table next to Inuyasha, whom Kagome noted, appeared to be inhaling his food rather than engaging in the formality of chewing it. She rolled her eyes and began to eat her own breakfast. Kagome saw the clawed hand sneaking over toward her plate from the side and reached out to swat at it to no avail.

Inuyasha barked out a short laugh of triumph and stuffed her portion of bacon whole into his mouth. Kagome frowned and reached up to tug on his ear in retaliation and said "Quit picking at my plate, you pig!"

"Ow!" Inuyasha yelped in pain and flicked Kagome hard on the nose. Her eyes drifted comically into a cross eyed position as she focused on the throbbing tip of her nose.

Annika watched the pair with a weary sigh and decided that an intervention was in order to keep the banter from escalating into an all out brawl. "Children! There's no time for that this morning! Kagome, you need to get going or you're going to be late." Kagome snatched up her backback, slid into her shoes and strode out the door into the courtyard beyond.

Inuyasha followed Kagome out the door and to the shrine steps to see her off.

"What do you plan on doing while I'm gone?"

Inuyasha flicked a thumb over his shoulder toward the house. "I'll probably see if the old man needs help with anything today."

"Alright, just try not to smash anything this time. There's only so much his heart can take."

Inuyasha was offended. He pointed a claw into Kagome's face. "I'll have you know that the only time I smash anything is when you use that fucking "sit" command on me! And, furthermore…" His tirade was cut short by Annika leaning out the door and shouting "Kagome! Remember, you have rehearsal after school today!"

"Okay! Thank you, Mama." Kagome turned back to Inuyasha to find that he looked even more outraged than before. "You mean you have to stay _longer_ at that 'skool' thing of yours today? Aren't you there long enough already?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Look, Inuyasha, if it bothers you that much, you can come meet me after school, IF you wear the clothes and hat that Mama bought you, and IF you promise to behave."

"Fuck that! I hate those clothes and I ALWAYS behave!"

"Oh? So, that wasn't you I saw on the news that time? I don't think swinging your sword around in front of HALF OF TOKYO AS BEHAVING YOURSELF!"

"Swinging_ my sword…" _Inuyasha let out a dirty snicker. Kagome groaned in frustration and yanked on his forelocks. "Focus, Pervert! Like I said, you can come if you wear the clothes. If I see anything otherwise, I'll "s—"your ass back to the Feudal Era, understand?"

"Feh." Inuyasha looked away and crossed his arms over his chest.

Kagome chuckled dryly. "I'll take that as a "yes". Now quit pouting before your face freezes that way."

Her eyes took on a playful sparkle as she reached up to lightly rub one of the cranky hanyou's ears. Despite his desire to stay mad at her, Inuyasha's eyes slid closed as he leaned into her touch and let out a content growl. Kagome giggled and continued her ministrations for a few more seconds before reluctantly letting her hand slide back down to her side.

"Alright, I really do have to go now." She started to walk down the stone stairway to the street below, but hesitated after descending the first step. She called over her shoulder "Inuyasha? I'll see you after school, right?"

She couldn't see the small smile that crept up on his face, but his voice held more warmth than before. "Yeah, Kagome. I'll be there."

Kagome's smile was brilliant.

"Okay".

She raced down the remainder of the steps and down the block to catch the bus to school.

::::

It was official; Inuyasha was bored.

And when he got bored, bad things often happened and things got broken.

Take for instance, the lock on Kagome's desk drawer, the most recent casualty of Inuyasha's boredom.

The day had started out innocently enough. Inuyasha really did go see if the old man needed any help, but the old fart declared that he was going out to meet with a friend instead of working at the shrine that day. Inuyasha even offered to help Annika around the house; however, she insisted that he take the time to rest. Annika suggested that Inuyasha use Kagome's bed to take a nap, giving him a sly wink that left Inuyasha with an uneasy sense of suspicion that she knew all about last night's sleeping arrangements. Feeling totally betrayed by the somewhat violent blush that suddenly heated his cheeks, Inuyasha did what he does best when faced with embarrassment…he sputtered his trademark "Keh!" and fled to the safety of the Goshiboku to sulk.

A short while later, Inuyasha found himself to be restless and in desperate need of entertainment. He paced back and forth with catlike grace on the wide branch that served as his current perch as he weighed his options. Briefly, he considered going back down through the well to pick a fight with the first random demon he ran into (hopefully the mangy wolf or his arrogant fucktard of a brother), but logic overrode his desire when he realized that he would have a hard time explaining any new injuries to Kagome.

'_Hah! I can just hear the bitch now_,' his thoughts mocked Kagome's lecturing tone, _'"I _told _you to _BEHAVE_ YOURSELF!" ' _Inuyasha's eyes darted around, the sudden guilt of mocking her, even in the privacy of his thoughts, inciting a sense of paranoia born of one too many involuntary face plants into the ground. Inuyasha brushed off the feeling and moved on.

With his first option now out of the question, Inuyasha's thoughts turned to more devious pursuits. If he couldn't work off his energy by fighting, why not have some fun snooping through Kagome's room? After all, it WAS just sitting there, unattended, and FULL of those lacy little underclothes thingies that she _insisted_ on wearing but _refused_ to let anyone see.

'_Why the hell does she bother matching those things if no one sees them anyway… Feh, women…'_

If those things were just lying around somewhere in there, what other treasures would he find? Inuyasha let his wild imagination spur him on to leap up to her window and slip through.

He crept over to the closet first and eased open the doors. After rifling through the various modern (and shockingly revealing) garments hung there, Inuyasha resolved to find Kagome the ugliest, baggiest, most god awful set of kimono and hakama he could muster up in the Feudal Era and force her to wear it everywhere, regardless of which time period she was in.

'_Ah, who are you kidding anyway? Kagome could make a grain sack look sexy, and besides, you'd probably die if you couldn't cop a feel of those silky thighs when you're carrying her in that short skirt of hers…'_

For once, Inuyasha and the voice were in complete agreement.

He managed to find Kagome's underwear drawer next, and truth be told, did find rummaging around in it very amusing. Inuyasha made sure to take a careful mental inventory of his favorite sets for future reference (Miroku wasn't the only one with voyeuristic tendencies). He turned his attentions to Kagome's desk next.

Not expecting to find much of interest in there, Inuyasha slid the drawers partially open to reveal the usual boring shit that he cared nothing about: notebooks, pencils and other stationary supplies. Inuyasha _was_ surprised; however, when he tried to open the top center drawer and found it locked.

'_Huh, wonder what the sneaky wench is hiding in here…' _A burning curiosity overrode his general regard for privacy, and Inuyasha yanked the drawer forward to snap the lock before his self preservation instincts forced him to reconsider the idea.

The first thing that Inuyasha found was a pile of pictures. He plopped down into Kagome's desk chair and started to flip through the stack. The first few pictures were obviously taken before Kagome's 15th birthday since she still possessed that skinny, somewhat awkward appearance that young adolescent girls seemed to have. In those shots, Kagome was with those three pushy girls that Inuyasha met once, and she was laughing at something unseen. Inuyasha found himself to be slightly envious of whatever had made her eyes shine like that, filled with the rich, carefree glow he'd come to crave so much over the years of being with her. Sometimes, it seemed he would do anything to incite that glow in her eyes, like flying through the treetops with her clinging to his back in an effort to defy gravity itself. Sure, her squeals sometimes hurt his sensitive ears, but the look in her eyes when he set her down on her feet was enough to ignite an unfamiliar, yet tantalizing warmth throughout his body.

Inuyasha growled involuntarily at the next snapshot he came upon. That dipshit boy ('_Whazziz name…Hoho? Hobo? Ah, who gives a fuck!') _had his arm wrapped around Kagome's shoulders as the two faced the camera head on. Inuyasha was satisfied to note that his favorite gleam was absent from her eyes in that photo; if anything, Kagome appeared to be mildly uncomfortable.

The last portion of the pile of pictures consisted of photos that Kagome had taken of the Inu gang in the Feudal Era. In one, Sango and Miroku posed together in front of Kaede's hut. Apparently, Miroku must have just fondled Sango's ass prior to the picture being taken, since he had a perfectly outlined red handprint tattooed on his face. That didn't stop his flirtatious grin for the camera, though. Inuyasha marveled over the fact that the houshi hadn't yet sustained severe brain damage from the years of frequent beatings he'd received for his lecherous habits_. _

'_At the very least, by now I would have thought _someone_ would have tried to shove that "cursed" hand so far up his ass that he would be waving hello from his throat.' _

Inuyasha was mildly ashamed to note that, in most of the photos containing him, he wore the fiercest scowl on his face.

'_Wow! Am I really that much of an asshole all the time? How does Kagome stand me?'_

Not wanting to answer his own question, Inuyasha decided to put the pictures to the side for now and continue to look through the drawer. The next item that he pulled out was a small book with leather like cover. He recognized the book as one that, during their travels, Kagome sometimes pulled out of her backpack when she thought no one was watching and scribbled furiously in. A cursory glance at the first few pages revealed it to be her journal.

'_Ah, this is gonna be fun.'_ A positively evil smile lit up his face.

He opened the pages and began to read the first entry with keen interest… Kagome's account of the day they met. Inuyasha let out a loud guffaw in response to her first impressions of him:

"_He kept calling me Kikyou and tried to KILL me! Can you believe that? I set him _free_ and HE TRIED TO KILL ME! I can't believe that someone so gorgeous could be SUCH an asshole! Still, those adorable ears almost make up for it all… I wish I could play with 'em all day long."_

An unexpected knock on Kagome's bedroom door sent Inuyasha flying into a sheer panic. In a flurry of movement, he shoved the journal and pictures roughly back into the drawer and slammed it shut.

"Inuyasha?" Annika's sweet voice drifted through the closed door. "Kagome just called. She should be done with rehearsal soon, if you were still planning on meeting her."

'_Shit! Was it that late already? Time sure does fly when you're having fun. I guess I'll just pick up where I left off tomorrow…'_

To disguise his true activities, Inuyasha rumpled his haori and hair slightly to give off the impression that he had, in fact, been sleeping. He opened the bedroom door a bit with a forced yawn and accepted the bundle of clothing that Annika handed to him.

Ah, modern clothing. How Inuyasha despised it, but Kagome wouldn't let him out of the confines of the shrine grounds without it anymore. She adamantly insisted that he attracted too much attention in his fire rat robes.

Inuyasha slid on a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt with a strange logo on the front. Kagome found some sort of perverse pleasure in not revealing to him that the front of the t-shirt, in fact, said "Beware of Dog" in English. If he'd known, he would have torn the damn thing to shreds.

At the door, Inuyasha donned the worst part of the ensemble… the shoes. Since he threw the world's largest temper tantrum the first time Kagome tried to get him into a pair of sneakers, she had to settle for coercing him into wearing sandals with several threats of sitting him until his back broke. This era's preoccupation with footwear in public was yet another reason Inuyasha hated Kagome's time.

Shouting a quick goodbye to Annika, Inuyasha pulled the black baseball cap down low over his ears and raced out the door in the direction of Kagome's school.

A/N: I hope I'm not going to slowly. I'm still trying to decide how to transition into the main plot of the story, so please bear with me. Thanks for reading. Until next time, I say, goodbye.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you to everyone for the reviews! They mean a lot to me!

Chapter 4

It had been a very long day.

Kagome started out the morning by being jumped by her three friends, Yuka, Eri and Ayumi, at the entrance to the school grounds.

"Kagome, you're back! How do you feel?"

"How's that two timing boyfriend of yours?"

"You were out so long this time. How did you manage to get an infection…_there_?"

'_UHHHHHHHHHHH! Just WHAT in the hell did Gramps say I caught this time?' _Kagome hid her recoil of disgust behind a fake smile plastered on her face.

"Hey, guys! The doctor says I'm fine now…I guess" Kagome was still inwardly gagging over the infection comment. _'Kami, pleassssssse don't let Hojou bring me any home remedies for it!'_

A change in subject was in order. "So, are you guys going to be in the talent show this Friday, too?"

Yuka rolled her eyes. "Yeah, mom is making me do it. She says she'll be damned if she's gonna let all the money she paid for my guitar lessons go to waste. So, since I refuse to do it _alone_," she pointedly glared at her two more submissive friends, "we three decided to try the girl band thing again."

Kagome giggled, a warm feeling of nostalgia spreading over her as she remembered the quartet's last attempt at the 'girl band thing'. Kagome had just turned fourteen, and she and her friends were going through a short lived "Puffy AmiYumi" phase of their lives.

Hey, I've got an idea! You want to sing for us? Ayumi there is okay, but you're the one with the real set of pipes."

Ayumi harrumphed at Yuka's remark. She _was _right, though; Kagome did put her to shame, and besides, she was hoping that Kagome would show up, anyway. Being shy by nature, Ayumi was not a fan of public performances.

She flashed her friend a genuine smile. "Yeah, how 'bout, Kagome? I'll sing backup for you and I'll even take over on the keyboard so at least you won't have to practice too much for this thing."

Kagome smiled, enticed by the idea of spending more time at home relaxing instead of practicing_. 'No repeats of yesterday for me, no sir, I _WILL_ get my bath.' _ Not wanting to appear too eager, though, she shrugged noncommittally and said "We'll talk about it this afternoon at rehearsal. Let's get to class before Hojou manages to sniff me out."

Eri beamed. "Oh, don't worry, we'd already told him you were here when we saw you at the gate. He'll be looking for you any time now!"

Kagome groaned. "_Greaaaaaaaaaaatttt, just great… Why can't those three just butt out of my love life…or lack thereof…" _ She slouched along to beside her friends and sighed as they headed toward the door.

Her morning classes crept by slowly, leaving her restless. At one point, Kagome even caught herself wishing that Inuyasha would suddenly barge in just so that she could pick a fight with him.

'_Hah! I can just hear the baka now'_, her thoughts mocked Inuyasha's surly tone '"_Come ON, Ka-go-me, you've fucked around _enough _already!" ' _A shiver passed down her spine and her eyes darted around in search of her moody hanyou. Why was she overcome with a sudden urge to "Sit" him? She shook the feeling off and returned to her thoughts.

Well, if he wasn't just going to show up out of the blue, then she guessed the only other option open to her was to daydream about him instead.

Kagome's eyes took on a dreamy quality as she leaned on her hand and stared off into space, visions of a bare chested Inuyasha in sinfully tight jeans dancing inside her head…well, maybe not dancing because let's face it, Inuyasha WOULD NOT dance… he'd probably be bitching at her instead. If only he knew that she'd happily let him bitch at her to his heart's content if he would just agree not to wear a shirt while he was doing it.

'_And the jeans! Let's not forget the jeans_!' In all honesty, Kagome didn't care one single bit about Inuyasha attracting attention with his fire rat robes in public; she just wanted the excuse to make him wear clothing that would show off just how sexy he really was. Those fire rat robes left way TOO much to the imagination, in her humble opinion.

Kagome amused herself for the rest of the class period conjuring up fantasies involving her silver haired, hunky hanyou that would have made Miroku proud.

The rest of the day passed by just as uneventfully as the morning had. Kagome successfully managed to dodge Hojou each time she spotted him in the hallway, and for that, Kagome was thankful. Although he was probably considered the sweetest and most good looking guy in school by her classmates, there was just something about his "sincere" attentions toward her that made Kagome slightly nervous. He never seemed to take the hint that she just wasn't interested in him.

'_Of course, I haven't been that firm with him either. I just don't want to hurt his feelings...and …maybe it _i_s _kinda_ nice to have someone care about me, even if it isn't the one I love.'_

Kagome mentally cursed herself for being so pathetic as she trudged along to the auditorium for rehearsal.

::::

'_Why am I doing this again_?' Kagome wandered for the thousandth time since she sat down to watch the other acts in the show. A girl named Seika, who was a year younger than her, had just played the violin with such soulful grace that her performance almost brought tears to Kagome's eyes.

Kagome was glad that she'd decided to take the lazy approach to getting her extra credit grade and sing for her friends' "girl band". At least this way she wouldn't have to practice anything at home; she could just show up and sing. _'I only have to_ BE _in the talent show, no one said I had to be _GOOD._' _ She briefly wondered whether or not she should feel bad for exploiting her friends for the chance to have a bubble bath_. 'Ah, forget it. If they had to run around saving the world in an era without plumbing, they'd sell me out, too.'_

"Kagome, Come on! We're up next to practice." Kagome had just stepped to the back of the auditorium to pull out her cell phone and make the call home. Yuka waved at her from the stage as she adjusted the strap of her guitar. Eri was seated at a drum set toward the rear of the stage and Ayumi was setting up a Yamaha keyboard at Yuka's side.

Kagome approached the trio with her arms folded across her chest. "You know, you guys haven't even told me which song you've picked" she griped.

Yuka smirked. "Oh, don't worry; I think you'll be able to relate to it." She looked around conspiratorially and leaned in to whisper the name of the song to Kagome.

Kagome stepped back and eyed Yuka warily. Was this some kind of twisted joke? Kagome let out a humorless chuckle."Yeah, I guess I can. "She sighed. "Let's do this."

Kagome stepped up to the microphone, trying hard to tune out the other students milling about the stage in front of her. The teacher nodded from his place in the audience for them to begin, and Yuka struck the first chords of the song.

::::

'_Where the hell is she?'_

Kagome was not waiting in front of the school as Inuyasha had expected. Ever impatient, he decided to follow her scent into the school rather than sit around waiting for her to grace him with her presence. The faint trail led to a large set of double doors near the end of the main corridor. Inuyasha eased one open a crack and peered inside. Across a darkened sea of tiered seats in the cavernous room, he could see Kagome sitting with her friends at the edge of the stage, long legs swinging carelessly over the side as she leaned back on her hands and turned her head to face the girls next to her. She chattered happily, appearing oblivious to the bustle of activity around her as classmates put away equipment and packed up to go home.

Inuyasha smirked mischievously. Since she _obviously_ was too caught up in her friends to remember that he was coming to meet her, he decided to teach her a lesson. Just what the lesson he had in mind was _supposed_ to teach her he did not know, but she should have known by now that he was not one to be ignored without repercussions.

Inuyasha slid through the darkened auditorium like a specter and jumped onto the stage without making a sound. He slipped behind the curtain and hid amongst its folds in the stage wings, waiting for his prey to draw near.

"Higurashi, Hi! I've been trying to find you all day!"

Inuyasha nearly gave away his position when he let out a fierce growl at the boy that dared to address HIS Kagome.

"Oh, Hojou, uh…hi. It's nice to see you."

If Inuyasha wasn't so caught up in his jealousy, he may have been able to pick up on her forced friendliness.

Kagome jumped up and started to back across the stage away from the boy that was cheerfully bumbling toward her with a telltale package in his arms. Kagome started to plan a hasty exit stage right, pondering the best way to ditch Hojou as quickly as possible.

Wait, was that _growling_ she just heard?

"Where are you going, Higurashi? I have this lotion for you that should help with the itch of your infectio-" Ayumi jumped up and placed herself in Hojou's path. She'd noticed Kagome's inflamed face and decided to come to her rescue before Hojou could finish his statement.

"Hey, Hojou, you missed rehearsal today. Come tell me about what you were up to instead of being here." Ayumi made eye contact with Kagome and jerked her head slightly toward the curtain. She reached out and hooked arms with Hojou, effectively blocking his advance on the girl. A dark scowl ghosted over Hojou's features before he slid back into a seemingly innocent grin.

Freedom was at hand. Kagome's back came into contact with the thick velvet behind her, and suddenly, she was snatched off her feet.

"Eep!" her squeal was stifled from behind by a clawed hand clamped over her mouth. Kagome furiously struggled with the curtain as she whirled around to confront her attacker.

"Inuyasha, just _what _do you think you're doing?" she hissed at him. "You scared the crap out of me, you baka!"

His scowl nearly scared the life out of her instead.

"Just what the fuck are you doing talking to that dipshit?"

Clearly she did not understand the severity of the situation, since rather than submitting like a good bitch, Kagome chose to match his scowl with one that would have sent Sesshoumaru running for cover.

"Don't you DARE start this jealous caveman crap with me _again_!" Kagome lowered her voice to try and match his baritone as she jabbed a finger into his chest. "Me inu, you bitch" she mocked," You do what inu say."

"Yeah, that sounds about right, _bitch_" he snarled back. He was dangerously close to throttling the insolent girl, but decided to settle for snatching her back up instead.

Yuka and Eri heard the commotion coming from behind the curtain and turned to each other with questioning looks.

"Is Kagome arguing with the curtain?"

"Yeah, and it sounds like it's winning, too."

Kagome emerged on stage again, tightly gripped against the chest of a very irate Inuyasha. She tittered nervously and said "Hey guys, look who just showed up. "

"Higurashi, is everything alright?" Hojou eyed the girl with concern.

Inuyasha's menacing growl reverberated throughout the auditorium, causing all of the teens present to jump in alarm. Kagome knew she needed to act fast before Inuyasha did something stupid. She spun around in his grasp, threw her arms around his neck and leaned into him with a wide smile.

"Yeah, everything's GREAT!" She called over her shoulder while shooting a side long glare at Inuyasha. Kagome turned back to him and asked through gritted teeth "Isn't it, Koinu?"

Inuyasha's eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline. "_Koinu_? When the fuck did you start calling me KOINU?"

Kagome kicked him in the shin for being so dense, and then silenced his outrage with a quick kiss on the cheek. With her lips still brushing against his face, she whispered low enough so that only he would hear her "Just go with it, damnit!"

'_Why does the wench have to be so confusing?' _Inuyasha supposed he would have to save his questions for later, since, at least, that Hoho boy seemed to be backing down. Inuyasha surprised Kagome by hauling her tighter into him and possessively nuzzling the side of her neck. Ignoring her deep blush, he gazed arrogantly over the top of her head as if to challenge the weak human boy in front of him.

Hojou frowned and took a step in their direction, and immediately, Inuyasha's growling become louder than ever before.

'_Shit!'_ Kagome knew she needed to head off the male posturing before things got ugly and Hojou ended up dead. Kagome yanked on the rosary to remind Inuyasha of her longstanding threat.

Kagome smiled at her friends, and little louder than she meant to, called out, "Aw, jeez, look at the time! We had better get home or Mama will be mad!" Kagome gave Inuyasha a flat glare and shoved him toward the stage exit. "Let's go_, Koinu_."

::::

Kagome yanked Inuyasha by the rosary into the nearest alleyway outside of school grounds. Ensuring that the coast was clear, she faced him with her arms tightly folded across her chest, hoping that she looked more intimidating than she felt.

"And just what in the hell was all that about?" Her look warned him to tread lightly lest he wished to end up forming a new Inuyasha shaped landmark in the pavement.

Inuyasha never was one to take a hint. He towered over her and shouted "What do you mean, what was that all about? Why the fuck do you keep letting that damn wimpy boy come near you? Every single time I come to get you at that 'skool', that little fucker is panting after you just like that mangy wolf. You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say you _like _that bastard fawning all over you. "

Kagome seethed over his implications, losing whatever tenuous hold over her composure she might have had. " You were there, Baka, and if I remember correctly, I was hanging all over YOU. What is with all this jealousy anyway? We were just talking Inuyasha! You know, like you _supposedly_ do with Kikyou every time you go running off to her. "She clapped her hand to her mouth in shock, almost immediately regretting her words as soon as they left it. Her eyes widened in apprehension as she awaited his reaction.

Kagome ignited a fury within Inuyasha that he could scarcely control. Not only was this bitch challenging his right to reprimand her, she was also overstepping her bounds regarding Kikyou.

'_Who the hell is she to question what I do with Kikyou? She knows I have to keep my promise to protect her!'_

Inuyasha advanced on Kagome slowly, his eyes taking on a slightly red tinge as he snarled" That is a completely different situation, one that I don't feel I should have to discuss with you."

Kagome recoiled as though he'd just struck her. Her body went rigid and her fists became clenched so tightly at her sides that her nails were digging into the palms of her hands. She lowered her head to hide behind the curtain of her bangs, hoping beyond hope that the overwhelming smells from the city around them would mask the scent of the tears that were threatening to fall. The moment dragged on in agonizing silence before she trusted her voice enough to speak.

"Oh, yes, _of course_ it is, how _stupid_ of me. I forget my place. After all, I am _just_ the Shard Detector." she uttered bitterly as she turned her back to him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her heartbreak.

He stood there, staring stupidly at the girl before him. All of Inuyasha's anger drained from him, leaving a sense of remorse so powerful that it threatened to double him over. The mutinous voice in his mind raged against him.

'_SAY SOMETHING, ASSHOLE! Make it better. She's not just your Shard Detector and you fucking know it! I swear, if we lose her…'_

"Kagome."

She made no move to acknowledge that he'd spoken to her. She continued to stand there facing away from him, head down and body held as still as a statue.

'_Really, that's it, dumbass? "Kagome?" That's the fucking best you could come up with? You really are pathetic!'_

Inuyasha knew the voice was right, but could not bring himself to say anything further. He let his hands fall helplessly to his sides and as he continued to stare at the girl's back with a painful longing to close the distance between them and take her into his arms.

Kagome raised her head and stared blindly at the street beyond the alley. Her voice cracked as she broke the silence. "Sit".

Inuyasha crashed to the ground with a resounding thud. He didn't even try to voice one word of protest at her command or fight the spell that held him embedded so firmly into the pavement. He was fully aware that he completely deserved whatever punishment that was dealt out to him for his actions.

Kagome raced from the alleyway toward the shrine, not daring to look back. Her tears flowed freely now, but she managed to contain the sobs that threatened to escape her throat, not wanting to attract more attention than she already had from passersby.

Once the rosary's spell lifted, Inuyasha took to the rooftops to follow her at a safe distance.

'_How the fuck am I going to fix this one?' _

The voice snorted disdainfully inside his head. _'Good question, asshole. Maybe you can just charm her with your sparkling personality again.' _

Inuyasha wasn't about to take any more shit from his inner psyche. _'You know what, if you can't find anything to say that would be of any help to me, then go to hell.'_

'_Well, a life without Kagome may just put you there instead if you don't fix this. I don't know why you keep hurting her! You have feelings for her, so stop trying to deny it!'_

Inuyasha halted in his run and fell to his knees upon the rooftop he'd been crossing. He reached up to grasp his head in his hands, grimacing from his pain. 'I_ KNOW damnit! I'm just so confused right now! I'm supposed to be loyal to Kikyou, right?'_

'_Why? She was never loyal to you. She wanted to change you, remember Baka? Kikyou was only loyal to the human in you, the rest was tainted to her. Kagome has always been there, has always accepted you no matter what form you're in: hanyou, human, demon, it's all the fucking same to her. She's never left your side no matter how much pain you put her through. _SHE _deserves your loyalty, not the walking dead.'_

Inuyasha bristled at the voice referring to Kikyou as the walking dead. 'Don't_ talk about Kikyou that way! She died for me, damnit; I can never atone for that! And besides, I told you before, Kagome deserves better than me! She's everything that is good and pure and right in this kami forsaken world! What right have I got to have any feelings toward her? I'm a filthy fucking half-breed! She's never going to love me or accept me as her mate. At best, she sees me as her protector and friend, and even then, I make a shitty one at that.' _

'_How do you know what she'll do? You spend so much time pushing her away, how do you really know what she feels? You know damn well that the lecher, taijiya and the runt tell you about her feelings toward you all the time, but do you _really_ listen? Do you honestly think that a _friend_ would ask you to let her stay by your side even though you call her names, put her down and run off to Kikyou every fucking chance you get?'_

Inuyasha felt himself wither in defeat. _'Who are you, anyway?'_

'_Let's just say I am a part of you, one that you have yet to allow to fully awaken.'_

Inuyasha shook his head in confusion at the voice's cryptic answer_. 'What the hell do you mean, I have "yet to allow you to fully awaken?" '_

Silence was his answer.

Not wanting to think anymore, Inuyasha wearily pulled himself to his feet and resumed his journey back to the shrine. Leaping into the branches of the Goshinboku, he cast his gaze to Kagome's window, having smelled her presence there.

Inuyasha's heart lurched painfully in his chest at the sight of her lying face down on her bed, clutching her pillow to her as she sobbed quietly. The salty smell of her tears seemed to drift out across the courtyard and permeate the very air that hung between them.

Inuyasha sat up straighter on his perch and squared his shoulders in determination. He'd really hurt her this time; he allowed something as insignificant as his petty insecurities to cause him to lash out at the one being that mattered to him the most. He was going to set things right, he just had to figure out how.

'_Think, Inuyasha, THINK. How have I gotten her to forgive me in the past?'_

Inuyasha was struck with an epiphany.

That journal of hers could prove very handy right about now.

A/N: Alright everybody, I am sorry if this chapter didn't flow as well as it could have. I had a little trouble leading up a what's going to happen next, but I figured that a seemingly petty fight over Hojou is a good way to trigger Inuyasha into saying stuff that he doesn't mean, and the Hojou thing will lead into something else later on. Until next time…


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you so much for the feedback everybody!

Chapter 5

Kagome curled up on her bed, shuddering sobs wracking her small frame. She wanted nothing more than to sink further into the softness of her comforter and find shelter from the harsh words relentlessly replaying over and over in a vicious cycle inside her head.

' " _That is a completely different situation, one that I don't feel I should have to discuss with you." ' _

Kagome buried her face into her pillow, trying to drown out the voice that broke her heart all over again.

' " _That is a completely different situation, one that I don't feel I should have to discuss with you." '_

Hot tears blazed burning paths down her cheeks. Inuyasha had said plenty of cruel things in the past, but never before had he made her feel so insignificant.

Was she really worth so little to him?

'_Have you ever really asked him? _'questioned a soft voice in the back of her mind.

Kagome was so horrified. '_Are you _insane_? I would NEVER ask that… I don't think that I could ever face his answer.' _

'_Why not?_' the voice gently chided her_. 'Don't you have more faith in him, or even in yourself, than that? Do you honestly believe that he would go to such lengths to protect a simple "Shard Detector"? Kikyou can see the shards, too, you know. He could have easily replaced you by now if he really wanted to.'_

Kagome gripped her pillow tighter as she scoffed miserably at the voice. _'Who says he _doesn't _want to? After all, Kikyou was the one who pushed _him _away after her resurrection, not the other way around.' _

Unwanted memories rose to haunt Kagome with the image of a pair of piercing amber eyes silently willing her to understand the words their owner could not say to her aloud.

'_I saw that look in his eyes that day when he promised himself to her! I knew then that he was trying to tell me that he chose her. We've been through so much since then, but there will never be anything between him and I, no matter how much I wish there would be.'_

More tears slipped unbidden down her cheeks.

'_If I didn't return to beg to stay by his side, he would have gone on without another thought about me. He's reminded me time and time again where I stand in comparison to her. No matter what I say, no matter what I do, I'm just her "copy". I wish to Kami that he would look at me the way he does at her, to really see me as ME... love me for ME! He won't though, not now, not ever.'_

The voice remained silent throughout her inner monologue before interjecting once more. _'If you really believe all this, then why do you stay with him? Why don't you come home and try to live a normal life?' _

Kagome's answer was instantaneous.

'_Because there _IS _no more normal life for me anymore without him! I LOVE HIM!' _

She faltered after her confession, stumbling for the words to explain.

'_I know that I don't have any right to love him. He belongs to Kikyou and he always will. They were robbed of their chance to be together, and I can't deny that. I'm just an intruder, a reminder of what he lost. He may feel responsible for me, but the only reason he protects me is so that he can restore the jewel and fulfill his duty to her. I can't ever hope to be anything more than a friend to him, so all I can do is stay with him as long as he'll let me, and cherish each moment that I have with him'._

Kagome paused and swiped at the wetness on her face before continuing with her thoughts.

'_I can never tell him how I feel… it would just complicate things and it simply would not be fair to him.'_

The voice seemed incredulous at her declaration_. 'Don't you think that he should have a say in this? What about what's fair to _you?_'_

'_It doesn't _matter_ what's fair to me. I want more than anything for him to be happy, even if it's not with me. If he wants to be with Kikyou, then who am I to stand in his way?'_

The voice seemed saddened by her decision. _'Can you truly accept that you'll never see him again if it comes down to it?'_

'_Do I have any choice?"_'

Kagome didn't want to deal with the inner voice any longer. She cleared her mind of all thoughts as she continued to lie on her bed, staring blankly at the wall over her desk. As fatigue set in, Kagome let her eyelids droop, and eventually, she slipped into a light doze.

::::

High up within the dense foliage of the Goshinboku, Inuyasha rested his back against the ancient tree's trunk and waited for his opportunity to retrieve the journal.

He could tell that Kagome had ceased crying long ago, leaving behind an almost eerie calm in the wake of her upset. Although he could not see her from his current vantage point, the strong presence of her scent assured him that she had not moved from her bed. Inuyasha found no comfort in her presence, though; despite his earlier decision to set things right with her, he continued to be haunted by the careless words he'd said at the height of their argument. Kagome's bitter acknowledgment of her so called 'place' with him gnawed at him continuously.

'"_Oh, yes, of course it is, how stupid of me. I forget my place. After all, I am just the Shard Detector." ' _

A soft whine managed to escape his throat.

After all they'd been through, how could she possibly think that was all she was to him?

'_The answer is obvious, dumbass, you're the reason! What kind of stupid question is that?'_

'_Shaddup, asshole, I know! Haven't you ever heard of a fucking rhetorical question?' _

'_Ooh, that's a big word for you! Have you been reading Kagome's spell books again?'_

Inuyasha ignored that comment and resumed his brooding. He was in no mood to be tormented by the annoying inner voice. He didn't need to be reminded that he was completely at fault for making Kagome feel so worthless, when in reality; nothing could be further from the truth.

Over the past two years, Kagome had proven to him time and time again just how precious she really was.

Kagome trusted him when others shunned him, showed him kindness and respect when others degraded him, healed him when others hurt him, and cried for him when no one else gave a damn whether he, the lowly hanyou, lived or died. Kagome taught Inuyasha to trust again, and gave him a pack to protect. Misfits though they might be, he could never hope for a more loyal group of friends, and Kagome was the sole reason that any of them looked past his heritage to see the purity of his soul. Kagome accepted every part of Inuyasha without prejudice, never feared him, never abandoned him despite all the times he'd hurt her, and never asked for anything but his friendship in return. Kagome was his best friend, his reason to be stronger and to fight harder…his very reason to breathe.

So why was he fighting so hard against his feelings for her?

One word…Kikyou.

The voice once again interrupted his thoughts. _'Yep, the undead bitch always seems to get in the way, doesn't she?'_

Oh, that was _IT_.

'_Listen here, you asshole, I told you to stop insulting Kikyou!' _

'_Yeah, yeah, yeah…' _If the voice had eyes, they would have been rolling. _'You know, I thought we made some progress with this Kikyou thing earlier. What happened? Did the bitch pop up somewhere along the way here and snatch your balls away again?_

'_Seriously, who the fuck are you to judge me? I don't know why I keep hearing you, but I swear to Kami that I'm gonna-'_

A sudden knock on Kagome's bedroom door jarred Inuyasha from his rant.

'_I'll deal with you later!'_ he threatened the voice.

Inuyasha heard a faint snickering in the back of his mind. _'Yeah, real scary threat considering I'm inside you. Just how do you suppose you're going "deal" with me, huh?'_

Inuyasha let out a frustrated growl as he dropped down through the branches to sit once more within view of Kagome's window.

"Kagome?" Annika eased open her daughter's bedroom door, and flipped on the overhead light. Kagome shot up and rubbed her eyes vigorously against the harsh brightness that bombarded her vision.

"Sweetie, it's dinnertime. Where is Inuyasha?"

Kagome silently looked up to meet her mother's gaze, letting the red and swollen appearance of her eyes answer the question for her. Inuyasha stiffened as he watched the exchange between the two women from his perch.

'_Kagome…'_ Inuyasha's heart lurched again at the sight of her. It wasn't often that he stuck around after a fight to see the aftermath, and now he knew why. A deep shame threatened to devour him from within as he took in the pain etched into the girl's features.

He watched as Annika placed an understanding hand on her daughter's shoulder, giving it a small comforting squeeze. "You two had another argument, didn't you?" She asked gently. Kagome turned her gaze down to the clutched hands resting in her lap and nodded mutely in response.

Annika leaned down and wrapped a loving arm around the girl's shoulders, pulling Kagome to her in a warm embrace. "Oh Dear, have faith; I'm sure everything will turn out alright." Annika turned her head to look pointedly across the courtyard at the ancient tree. Although he was certain that she could not see him from there, Inuyasha still got the feeling that Annika sensed his presence anyway and was trying to reassure him as well.

"Come now, dinner will be getting cold soon." Annika stepped back and offered her daughter a hand. Kagome accepted her mother's gesture, and stood up to follow the older woman from the room.

'_Now's my chance.'_

Once the bedroom door clicked shut, Inuyasha leapt to the balcony outside of Kagome's window, and slid through the open panel into the room beyond. As quietly as he could, he rummaged around in her desk drawer for her journal, and then grabbed his fire rat robes and sword from the pile near her closet door.

::::

Two figures, a man and a woman, sat on the roof of the well house and watched Inuyasha behind the concealment of a spiritual barrier. Unbeknownst to the hanyou and his miko, the pair had been watching them for the majority of the afternoon, and witnessed everything that had happened up until that point.

The woman sat huddled with her knees drawn up to her chest and arms folded securely around them. She appeared to be quite saddened by the events that had just taken place, her troubled gaze never straying from Inuyasha's silhouette as he crept around Kagome's room. The man startled her out of her thoughts by suddenly pounding a fist against the roof tiles in frustration.

"I don't understand! According to the tajiya, this particular trip is the last those two took before they disappeared. I can feel the power there just beneath the surface, and yet they continue to dance around each other just like they always do! Why haven't they changed yet?"

The woman sighed and placed a placating hand on the man's shoulder. "Have patience, Koi, I have a feeling it will happen soon."

The man snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Apparently not soon enough! We're running out of time. The pup's had _two years_ to fall in love with her, damnit! And what about the little one? We know for a fact that she's braver than this! Why hasn't she just come out told him already?'

The woman turned to him and began rubbing small soothing circles on his shoulder, smiling at him softly. "They are just being stubborn, Koi. We were like that once, too, remember?"

The man looked down into the woman's rich mahogany eyes and quirked an eyebrow. "I remember nothing of the sort."

The woman rolled her eyes and giggled. "Of course, Koi, how silly of me. I suppose you have no idea how either of your sons managed to come by such a trait."

Amber eyes lit up in amusement. "Exactly! After all, I am nothing if not flexible!"

The woman let out another indulgent giggle as their attention was drawn back to the Goshinboku. Inuyasha, once again wearing his fire rat robes, jumped back into its branches and settled back into its embrace. The sound of the kitchen door sliding open alerted all present that someone else was coming into the courtyard as well.

"Inuyasha?"

The reluctant hanyou hid the journal in his haori and dropped down to land on his feet gracefully in front of Annika. She held out a plate of food with a set of chopsticks to him and waited patiently for him to accept them. Inuyasha blushed deeply and bowed his head, unable to meet her gaze without guilt. Annika was the first to break the silence.

"Inuyasha, I know you two had an argument earlier. Don't be embarrassed. I know you and Kagome will work it out."

Inuyasha raised his eyes and gave the woman an incredulous look. "But you don't know what I did! I was stupid and I said something that I shouldn't have! I-I hurt her again, Mama. "

Annika sighed as she took a seat on the bench at the base of the tree, patting the spot next to her. When the boy accepted her invitation without protest, Annika looked up into the leaves above and began her speech.

"A long time ago, I sat under this very tree with Kagome. She had just come home crying again (Inuyasha cringed slightly), and I just knew that something had happened between you two again." Annika turned to look him straight in the eyes."I gave her some advice that day, and now I'm going to give it to you as well. I have a lot of faith in you, Inuyasha, you're a good young man, and I know that you will ultimately choose the path that you believe to be right."

Inuyasha's eyes widened in earnest as he tried to swallow past the lump in his throat that rendered him speechless. Annika patted his hand lightly and smiled. "In the meantime," she again attempted to hand him his dinner "You need to eat. No son of mine is going to go hungry."

Inuyasha quickly hid his face behind his bangs as a suspicious tingling started at the corners of his eyes. He held out his hand to take his plate and softly whispered "Thanks, Mama".

Annika rose to her feet and said "Come inside when you are done. If you don't want to spend the night in Kagome's room, then I'll make the guest room up for you instead."

Inuyasha nodded mutely in acknowledgment as Annika turned and walked back toward the kitchen door. She paused with her hand on the handle as an odd rippling sensation in the air caught her attention.

Annika gave a quick glance at Inuyasha, who appeared to quite intent on studying the plate that he held in his hand.

"Oh, Buyo, you silly cat, come back! Here kitty, kitty!" Annika fervently hoped that the boy was too distracted to catch on to her ruse as she walked to the well house and slipped inside.

Annika stood there in the darkness and waited for the two watchers to join her.

The man and the woman stepped cautiously through the door and closed it behind them. The woman closed her eyes and pressed her hands together in a gesture of prayer, causing the rippling sensation in the air around them to shift.

She then dropped her hands and stepped forward to embrace Annika, tears running freely down her beautiful face.

"Thank you" she whispered.

Annika tightened her arms around the other woman's shoulders. " Don't thank me, Iza, I love him, too. Besides, I know you would do it for her as well."

Iza pulled back and simply gave Annika a watery smile in response.

Annika patted the other woman affectionately on the cheek. "Don't worry, Iza, you're time will come soon."

The man stepped forward from the shadows and gently grasped Iza's shoulder. "Come. Koi, we should leave now before the barrier shifts. We can't risk the pup sensing us too soon." He raised his golden gaze to Annika, silently communicating his own gratitude with the warmth of his eyes. Aloud he said, "Annika, the twins will be here soon to take the next watch. We will be seeing you soon."

The trio bid each other goodbye as the two watchers slid the well house door open and faded away into the night.

Upon reentering the courtyard herself, Annika was relieved to note that Inuyasha was still where she left him on the bench, apparently oblivious to his surroundings as he sat there in deep thought.

::::

Late that night, Inuyasha quietly slipped back through Kagome's window.

The girl lay in a tangle of blankets, tossing and turning in a fitful sleep. Inuyasha dropped to his knees at her side, and gently smoothed the creases in her brow away with the pads of his fingers.

Kagome let out a whimper before relaxing her countenance in response to his touch.

Inuyasha leaned forward and whispered "I'm so sorry Kagome; you're not just a Shard Detector. You're…you're—mine". He placed a lingering kiss on her temple.

Inuyasha placed his sword against the wall and climbed into the bed beside her. Unconsciously, Kagome sought out the warmth of his arms as he pulled her to him. He lay there with her for the rest of the night, content to hold her while she slept.

When dawn came, Inuyasha disentangled himself from her warmth and stood up to retrieve his sword.

His final words to her as he stepped out onto the balcony hung in the stillness of the room "I promise Kagome, I'll make it up to you."

A/N: And there you have it! Whew! I think I must have rewritten this chapter like 50 times, so hopefully, I got it right this time. Until next time!


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